All done painting… for now.

On Monday I got to have a whole day with Mommy all to myself. On Tuesday I had my Art Class which I love. On Thursday we did cleaned up the neighbourhood for Earth Week. And today I played Mudtropolis with Anna & Grace in their backyard!

He said

This week we finally wrapped up all the painting. We were toying last week with the idea of waiting on painting the office until I got back from California to give us some time to settle and relax, but in the end decided to blast through the only room left to finish. The only reason we had any trepidation about tackling the project because we weren’t completely settled on how we were going to finish the pine tongue & groove wall. Once we had agreed on that, it was something we could do. And did.

The only thing left to do now is to decide on a colour of the white wash stain we’re going to use for the pine. I have a feeling that is a project for after I get back from California as we’re having some trouble finding just the right product for the job that will give us the look we’re going for. Because we won’t get a second crack at this wood, we’re going to make certain we’re happy with what we find.

Unlike my journey becoming Lead Genius, the road to Manager has been a much faster transition. My new business cards arrived this week as well as my name tag, and that was when it all really started to sink in for me. We’ve been working out the changes with me on the management team which makes it feel more real. But by this time next week, it will seem even more real as I will be just in the process of landing and getting settled in San Francisco for training.

This week will be a whirlwind for sure as packing and preparing for the trip will be the main focus. But, on Saturday we go get Wolfie out of her winter hibernation spot and bring her back to her rightful spring/summer/fall home in our driveway. That will give Danielle the time while I am away to give Wolfie a clean n’ prep for our first weekend out in her.

They managed to get my return flights home so we only lose the Friday of our trip away. I arrive in London first thing Saturday morning, and after a luggage swap at the house, we’ll promptly get on the road and head out to the campsite and make the most out of the three days back together after my time away. I have a feeling once the trailer gets set up at the site, I might embark on a nap. We’re all really looking forward to this weekend out in Wolfie after such a long and determined winter.With the focus away from painting every single moment we had we were able to focus more on spending time with Emelia in the evenings. It was getting pretty obvious the past few weeks that Emelia was longing for time with Mommy & Daddy that didn’t revolve around the bazillion hours of reno we’d dove into without consulting her on. Danielle was also able to get back to the gym regularly too which was much needed for her. This week was mostly about getting back into the old patterns we’d come to miss.

Given that this time next week Danielle and I will be navigating this post from completely different parts of the continent, in two different countries and time zones, I am going to stick a fork in my part of the post this week and get down to some time spent with Danielle before the speed of the work week is back upon us.

She said

Honestly this week I do not have much to talk about. Monday was a day off for me and Emelia so we spent the day out in the sunshine. The one and only day we have had more warm spring weather. The weather was heavenly. Emelia spent the morning with her friends as I went and got the wood for John’s office and we spent the afternoon again with Anna and Grace and their sisters and mom at Gibbon’s Park. The sun was shining, it was warm and the park was packed with laughing children.
Thank goodness we took full advantage of this warm weather because the very next day the dreaded theme for this spring came back, cold. And add in rain. So for the next 4 days of my work week was back to bundling the kids up a bit and dealing with the colder than normal temperatures. I swear spring/summer is NEVER coming.

The week was long and the kids were feeling the dreary weather and I have to say by the end of the week I was more than ready for the weekend to come. John had a long week as well so by Friday we made our way to the LCBO for a couple bottles of wine and once Emelia FINALLY settled in for the night we watched a movie.Saturday John had the day off so Emelia and I got up and let John get some much needed sleep. We took the morning at a rare slow pace as we had nothing on the agenda until noon. Emelia’s usual Saturday morning swim class was done for a week as she was done her level 4 and her new class of level 5 does not start for a week. Having a slow pace to the morning was a very welcome change. With Emelia’s early swim class time the last 4 months, added in the repainting, John’s work schedule we do not often have a chance to take the morning at a very slow pace.

Around 11 we finally left the house and made our way over to get some coffee and then to the accountants office to review this years taxes and sign off on the filing. Well that was depressing! I have an amazing accountant that we really trust. He has given me a lot of guidance over the last 4 years to assure my books are in order and that I have all my write offs maximized. Well I knew we had a lot of expenses last year but when I saw the final numbers in front of me it was down right depressing. I know I make very little running the daycare but seeing it in black and white I honestly wonder what keeps me going. I could flip burgers at McDonald’s part time and bring in more money I swear. No wonder we have trouble getting ahead.

The rest of the day was all about preparing for Emelia’s and my mother/daughter pictures we were getting done by my friend Laura at Every Little Photo Photography. She had set up mother and children mini photo sessions for the last couple weekends. At first we only were able to book a first thing in the morning appointment but a last minute change allowed us to have an evening appointment.

So Emelia and I worked together and found what we thought was a great spring outfit combo. She and I would both be in black, white and yellow. Basically I was trying to find something that would work on my limited wardrobe compared to her extensive one. It was perfect for a simple spring photo session. Except spring has decided to not show up. In the afternoon we made a quick trip over to Old Navy to get a sweater for me since I had a long sundress for the pictures. Needless to say that with the wind it was barely over zero degrees and Emelia’s poor teeth were chattering. Thankfully Laura is amazing and got the photos done quickly. We have already seen a couple as a quick peak and as always we love them.

Today John was back at work, Emelia and I got our errands done, I got in a much needed workout and we spent the afternoon playing with her friends at their place while I visited with my girlfriend. A pretty great end of a nice slower pace weekend. Which is exactly what we needed considering this is our last full weekend together as a family for a few weeks and life will be turned upside down.